


Patience

by Kingrey



Series: NDAW [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: ?? and some talk of violence but nothing much, Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Worry, i guess fgshghsg tbh i'm not too sure how to tag this one
Language: Français
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29474238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingrey/pseuds/Kingrey
Summary: "If you were in danger, I would do everything for you too, you know? I… Maybe that makes me a bad Queen, but there's not a lot I wouldn't do to save you.""That's the thing, though," he smiled, something wistful about it. "You're not a bad Queen."[Or Rapunzel remembers that sometimes, being Queen meant being able to do what she must, not what she wants.]
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: NDAW [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162166
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	Patience

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote that sooo quickly you can't imagine ffgsdfgdh idk if it's good, but it exists, and sometimes that's all we can do

Rapunzel's meeting with foreign dignitaries had been going for half an hour when they heard it - the loud, distant sound of an explosion, powerful enough to shake the walls around them. Everyone got up in panic, their personal guards swarming in the room, but Rapunzel didn't try to regain the calm immediately. Instead, she rushed to the window, opening it in a big movement that let the cold air enter. Then, she leant out as far as she could, looking for-

There. A huge column of dark smoke was rising from the west wing of the castle. Even from here, she could see the little silhouettes of people rushing away from it. Her heart skipped a beat, and she realised that it was coming from the exact room that had been the original location of this meeting, until Eugene and her decided to change it this very morning.

The dignitaries were already trying to leave when she turned back, cold wind biting at her neck.

"Everyone!" she called, immediately gaining their attention. She knew she had to seem calm, so even though she could feel her hands trembling, she tightened her fists and kept talking. "I know you're scared, I know you want to be safe, but I'd rather not let you all get dispersed in the castle as long as I'm not sure what kind of threat we're facing. Please follow my guards, they know exactly how to handle this."

Despite the please, it wasn't really a suggestion. Her eyes met the ones of the oldest Corona guard in the room, Henri, and he gave her a little nod, taking over with his own instructions. Now that she was sure her guests would be safe, Rapunzel's eyes strayed back to the window, and the smoke that was now visible even without leaning out, thanks to the wind. Rapunzel's first reaction had been to act as a Queen, but the dread in her heart was all her own - someone had attacked the castle. People might have been hurt.

_Eugene_ might have been hurt.

"Your majesty?" a guard asked her, and with a start, she realised that she was the only one left here.

"I'm coming," she exhaled, voice shaky, mind swirling as she tried to remember Eugene's schedule, and their conversation from this morning.

* * *

_"I still don't understand how you can like these meetings so much," Eugene said as they walked through the hallways together, early in the morning. "I'd hate having to play nice with all these stubborn people."_

_"Aww, you're being mean Eugene, not all of them are stubborn! Most of the time, they just want what's best for their kingdoms," she smiled, pushing her short hair back behind her ear. "And it's actually quite fun to try and make everyone agree on something, especially when you know what kind of things each of them like."_

_"I'm sure you're amazing at that," he grinned, "but yeah, I definitely couldn't do it."_

_"It's okay, I couldn't do your job either."_

_"Are you joking? You'd be the most amazing Captain of the Guard ever!" Eugene exclaimed passionately. "You've got the brain, the brawn-"_

_"The brawn?" she laughed, blushing a little at how eager he was to compliment her._

_"I've been carried by you, I know what I'm talking about!"_

_They kept joking about how amazing of a Captain she could make, until they arrived at the room where her meeting should be held in the afternoon. They both wanted to check it out, Eugene for security reasons, and Rapunzel because she wanted to make sure that everything was in order for her guests. However, they hadn't expected the room to be freezing cold when they opened it._

_"Geez," Eugene grumbled, immediately going to hug himself._

_"Someone forgot to close the window," Rapunzel noticed. They exchanged a look, because honestly, no one on the staff would forget to close it - not in the meeting room, and especially not when it was the middle of autumn, and the air outside was too cold to simply be unaware of an open window._

_Eugene went to close it, as Rapunzel surveilled the few documents that stayed here, trying to see if anything had been stolen. He started looking around with her too, when the window opened slowly again._

_"Huh." Eugene tried to close it again, and the both watched as it opened, again. "Well, mystery solved, the lock is broken," he announced, a shiver running through him._

_"I can't have the meeting here," Rapunzel sighed, already trying to think about another room which could do the job._

_"Clearly not. Maybe you could take it to the east wing? It's basically the same layout, and that way I won't have to change the security's planning too much."_

_She nodded, thinking that it was the best course of action. Eugene promised that he would get someone to fix the window in the afternoon, and they went to check out the new room, making sure that it had no issues._

* * *

The dignitaries had been comfortably installed in a giant bedroom, turned into a sort of living room for the occasion. Some were already complaining loudly about not being able to go where they wanted, and Rapunzel started to think that she had been too nice earlier - Eugene was right, some of them were very stubborn. It was the third time she had to remind them that maybe the threat of a loose bomber wanting their deaths should be enough for them to understand that they couldn't visit the royal gardens right now.

It also felt very hard not to burn circles into the ground with her pacing. Rapunzel knew, as Queen, that she needed to put these people's lives first, and her own too. It was her duty, then, to stay with them, and show them a good example by staying put…

And she absolutely hated it.

There was little to no information on what happened right now. The explosion had definitely been targeted, it had caused a lot of damage and a fire that the guards were trying to put out. Thankfully, for now, the reports she got seemed to say that no one had been too seriously wounded (or worse, her mind whispered). But that didn't mean she felt better about staying there. She was practically in the dark, and the only thing she wanted to do right now was _help._

All she could do was pace and worry. And try to keep scared people calm. And try to make them understand for the fifteenth time that screaming at the guards would not help. Did Rapunzel say already that she hated it? Because she did, oh she did.

(She didn't know where Eugene was right now. She tried not to think about it, but her mind kept reminding her that he said he would find someone to fix the window, window that had probably not been broken by mistake, and that was right where the explosion took place. What if- What if he had been there? What if the reason she hadn't heard from him was because- because he was wounded, and bleeding, or worse, and she couldn't- she couldn’t-- She couldn't think about it. She had to focus, focus on her guests, on her duty, because she trusted Eugene, and she knew he would be alright.)

(He had to be.)

"Your majesty?" It was Adam, a young guard she knew quite well, who had called her from the door quietly.

Rapunzel immediately went at his side, desperate for news. There was soot on his uniform, and she could guess that he had been near the explosion site. "Adam! Are you okay?"

"I- yes, thank you your Majesty," he smiled. "I was just in charge of moving some of the rubble. I came here to tell you that the fire is out, and that we searched through the castle, and found no one suspect. We think the bomb was planted during the night, and that the bomber isn't in the castle anymore."

"That- That's good, that's good," she nodded, feeling a little shaky. "I guess that we're still staying confined here a bit more, though?"

"Uh, yeah, that's the orders I've received," he agreed hesitantly. "I'm sorry your Majesty, it's just to be safe."

"Don't worry, I know how this works." Her smile was tight with worry. "Say, Adam, did you- did you see Eugene? Was he the one to give you these orders?"

She could see from the corner of her eyes the other guards, who had been protecting the door ever since they started to hide here, turning towards them to hear Adam's answer. But he didn't even have to say anything - he grimaced, and her heart dropped in her chest.

"I- I'm sorry, no. I don't know where the Captain is. No one has seen him since…"

He trailed off. Rapunzel closed her eyes tightly, until she was sure she wouldn't cry.

"Thank you," she said faintly, trying to gather herself against the dark thoughts in her mind. (He hasn't seen Eugene since the explosion. No one has. Eugene is dead.) "I- We'll stay here," she nodded, "at least until you make sure there's really no threat."

She didn't meet Adam's eyes, or the ones of the guards around them, but she could feel their pity anyway. (Eugene is dead.) Her heart was in her throat as she raised herself up again, trying to look a little more queen-like before addressing the dignitaries. (Eugene is _dead._ ) She needed to do her best so there was no panic, because that was her duty as a Queen.

(Where was she when Eugene died? Was she smiling, pretending that nothing was wrong, because that was what a Queen should do?)

"Alright," she said, turning back to her guests as if she didn't feel like a sword was going through her heart. She didn’t _know_ that Eugene was dead. And she… She knew he could handle himself. She knew he would do everything to stay alive, so she would trust that he was fine, until- He _was_ fine. And the Kingdom needed her to stay focused. "Here is what we're gonna do."

* * *

_"You know, I'm kinda glad you're Queen sometimes," Eugene had whispered once, tracing mindless patterns on the skin of her back as they laid together on their bed._

_"Really?"_

_"I mean, there's definitely advantages to being royalty," he said, and she could hear his grin in the tilt of his voice - could feel it when he kissed the nap of her neck, making her laugh and turn towards him. His eyes were soft as he looked at her. "But I… you know, I'm glad that if they're something wrong or- or if there's any chance that you could be hurt, I can do everything in my power to get to your side and make sure you're okay, and no one is gonna try to stop me. You're the Queen, after all. That's kinda selfish, I guess, but I couldn't-- you're always my priority, Sunshine."_

_"And you're mine," she answered with a frown. She hadn't thought about it that way, but she didn't like the idea that she couldn't do the same for him. "If you were in danger, I would do everything for you too, you know? I… Maybe that makes me a bad Queen, but there's not a lot I wouldn't do to save you."_

_"That's the thing, though," he smiled, something wistful about it. "You're not a bad Queen."_

_He pushed her hair back, but she didn't let him, instead raising herself on her arms to really look at him. She wanted to protest, to say that she truly would do anything for him, but she couldn't find the words. She remembered all too clearly sending him to a possible death to save her parents the first time she acted Queen, because she knew the Kingdom needed their guards. She had… She_ **_had_ ** _put his life second to her duty before. Would she do it again?_

_"Hey," he said, raising his hand to her cheek again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."_

_"I'm… I don't want you to be right," she sniffled, eyes prickling. "I- If anything happened to you, I don't know what I would do."_

_"Well, I'll make sure nothing happens to me then. I'll always do everything in my power to come back to you, be it to make sure that you're okay, or so you can make sure that I am. I promise," he whispered, knowing how much weight these words carried._

_His smile was hesitant, and she leant down to taste it, feeling his arms envelop her again. She'd hold him to that promise._

* * *

An hour passed. The black smoke from earlier had disappeared entirely, when the guards finally told her that they could start evacuating the guests. She accompanied them all outside, making sure that they had all they needed to have a safe travel back, promising them to make light on today's events, and to keep them informed. Thankfully, as annoyed as some of them seemed, no one looked like they wanted Corona to owe them a debt. The problem might pop up later, but Rapunzel would take any victory she could have.

"Your Majesty!" she heard someone yell as she watched the last guest leave. It was Adam again, running towards her at full speed and stopping right next to her.

"Adam?"

"I saw the Captain!" he exclaimed. "He's fine, he was stuck because of the explosion but he's okay, and he told me to tell you that- your Majesty are you okay?"

Rapunzel wondered if she had visibly paled, because the relief crashing over her certainly made her feel faint. She put her hands over her heart as she breathed in, head buzzing as she closed her eyes.

Eugene was fine. Eugene was alive, and he was fine, and he had talked to Adam, and he was _alive_ \- he had kept his promise.

"Thank you, Adam," she breathed out. There were tears in her eyes when she opened them again, but she didn't bother hiding them this time. She had been the Queen for long enough - now she was Rapunzel, and she wanted to make sure that the love of her life was alright. "Where- Where is he?"

"He went back to your bedroom, he, uh… He needed a wash."

That was all she needed. She thanked Adam again, exchanged a glance with the other guards in charge of keeping her safe, and ran back towards her bedroom, anxious to actually _see_ Eugene - to touch him, too, and make sure that he was really here.

Honestly, she didn't think she had ever ran as fast.

She opened her bedroom's door quickly, letting the sounds coming from their bathroom guide her to Eugene. There he was, kneeling in front of their bathtub, his jacket and his gloves off as he seemed to be washing his hands.

There was red in the water.

"Eugene?"

He didn't answer. He wasn't even moving, just looking at his hands blankly, his back to her. She walked over him quietly, unsure of his state of mind.

"Eugene?" she repeated, her voice softer to avoid startling him. This time, he heard her. He turned his head, and his eyes widened when he met hers.

"Sunshine," he breathed, and just like that, his eyes were filling with tears.

She got on her knees next to him in one swift movement, in time for him to throw himself at her, hugging onto her dress tightly with his soaked hands. She hugged him back just as harshly, feeling something in her heart settle for the first time since she heard the explosion. Eugene was here. He was… he was alive. Maybe not okay, given how much he trembled in her grasp, but here. His saccaded breathing, his tears, his skin… She could feel him in her arms, and she never wanted to let go.

"Are you… Are you okay?" she asked, knowing the answer would be no. She felt his head move, his soft hair tickling her chin.

"I-" he tried, before interrupting himself for a few more seconds. "I didn’t get hurt. Just- Just a little burn, and some bruises, nothing bad, but… Lucas- the guy fixing the window, he-- We were stuck together, under the rubble, and he was losing so much blood I thought- I can still _feel_ it," he whispered, trying to get even closer to her.

"Oh Eugene," she murmured, feeling lost. "Is Lucas...?"

"He's alive, thankfully, he's… They got us out, and they- they told me- he should be fine," he stuttered, "I just can't- I- I--"

_I was so scared._ Eugene didn't have to say it, because she heard it anyway. So she held onto him, ready to do so forever if he needed, because she knew she needed it too.

"You did everything you could, and you probably saved his life," she said, feeling how he melted against her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

He probably could hear the emotion in her own voice.

"The- the only good thing down there, was the fact that I knew you were okay," Eugene answered, voice so quiet she barely heard him. "I- I love you, Rapunzel."

"I love you, Eugene." Her tears were falling too, landing on his hair. He was here. He was fine. _They_ were fine, and though they had faced a lot today, they had survived. That was all she could ask for.

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i procrastinated this prompt for a long time which is why i had to rush... whoops ahah but i don't hate it? i think it's fine, idk  
> I hope YOU liked it!! (yes eugene and rapunzel will have nightmares about this asdgsgh sorry when i read royal duties my brain went immediately to angst)
> 
> thanks for reading!! i'm way happier about what i did for tomorrow's prompt, so stay tuned for that :')


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